The Archives: The Way We Work
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May 6th, 2013
Effective Web Design (or “How to Make a Great Website”)
What is effective web design? It’s kind of like art… you know it when you see it. But when I was asked to present at the 2013 Oregon Governor’s Conference on Tourism about “Effective Web Design,” I had to take a step back to think about how effective web design happens. And after that, how do you present this idea…
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January 23rd, 2013
The Value Diagram
Next time you have more good ideas than time or budget, try this exercise in plotting value to help determine your launch feature set.
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December 17th, 2012
Rethinking the Web Comp
Static design comps are paintings of websites. Erin Kurtz, our Experience Director, rethinks our approach to exploring design solutions for the web.
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October 26th, 2012
Job Openings: Front-End and Back-End Web Developers
Have you been looking for a chance to join the Substance team? Well, your chance has come! That is, if you’re a Front-End Web Developer or Back-End Web Developer…
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August 6th, 2012
In Defense of Cheating
Last week I had the honor to attend the 140edu Conference in Manhattan. It was inspiring to be surrounded by so many smart people who are as passionate about education as they are about technology. As an employer, it was especially interesting to participate in discussions around what skills are most relevant for the future and how (or more accurately,…
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June 25th, 2012
We Build the Working Web
At Substance, we believe that a functional, user-centered website is the single most important point of impact you can make with your brand.
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June 1st, 2012
TravelOregon.com: Communication Arts Site of the Week + Additional Answers & Insights
Our work on TravelOregon.com was recently featured as a Communication Arts Site of the Week! One of the responsibilities of having a Site of the Week is answering a series of questions on the process behind the project. CommArts then takes these questions and answers and creates a great summary of the project, which you can read on their site: Communication…
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January 5th, 2012
Interaction Is Brand
Interaction with brands is full of expectation, reciprocation, desire and fulfillment.
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November 15th, 2011
Happy 75th Anniversary, Timberline Lodge
“Declared a National Historic Landmark in 1977, Timberline Lodge is one of Oregon’s most popular tourist attractions, drawing nearly two million visitors every year. Considered an architectural wonder, it’s still being used for its original intent — a magnificent ski lodge and mountain retreat for all to enjoy.” In 1937, Franklin Roosevelt dedicated the lodge as a “testament to the workers…
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August 15th, 2011
Substance on the SXSW PanelPicker
Okay folks, here’s a question for you: would you like to see Substance at South by Southwest (SXSW)? Before you shout out “of course,” or mutter “no way,” there’s a better way for you to voice your opinion: the SXSW PanelPicker. Substance has two panels to vote for and we’d surely appreciate your support.
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June 20th, 2011
Painting the undersides of stairs
There’s this scene toward the end of some after-school special I saw sometime in the 80′s where the main dude is painting some steps in front of a house and a father-figure person tells the main dude that he’s really going to make a name for himself and be successful because he’s painting the underside of the steps. Something about…
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March 14th, 2011
Why Designers Should Care About Content Strategy
Designing for static content is obsolete. Designing for dynamic content is no longer enough. Designing with a content strategy in mind is what the future holds.
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October 18th, 2010
Redesigning Web Sites – from the eTourism Summit
I was recently invited to present at the 11th annual eTourism Summit on the topic of web site redesign. Unless you’re a brand new company, most companies/brands have had at least one (if not multiple) web sites. But things change… brands change, technology changes, content needs change, business goals change… any and all of these can necessitate a redesign.
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September 16th, 2010
Three Words You Should Never Have To Read
This isn’t a rant for or against Flash. This is a rant against those three words: “Flash is Required.”
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July 6th, 2010
Desire Paths
People take the paths they want to take, using different channels to achieve their own goals. So if they don’t always take the paths we want them to take, how do we build engagement?
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May 26th, 2010
The Realist’s Perspective on Sustainability in Communication
Are we being sustainable? We’re not printing thousands of brochures, so we’re good, right?
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April 28th, 2010
Build Engagement, Not Websites
Words, photos and videos can’t do it alone. Through content, along with interactivity, back-and-forth communication (a.k.a. conversations), context, and reciprocity, the goal is to create useful information… something people care about and serves a purpose.
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March 2nd, 2010
What If and Why Not: the University of Oregon Presentation
About a month ago I received an invitation from my friend Peter Yesawich, Jr. to talk to the University of Oregon’s School of Journalism. We put together a conversation about where digital/interactive is heading, the semantics behind digital and interactive, and approaching what we do by first asking ”What If and Why Not?” At the end of the day, the students broke…
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January 19th, 2010
Three Years
Three years. Doesn’t seem that far back, yet worlds ago from today. That’s the day we started Substance. I don’t want to go into a long-winded review of the last three years and what we’ve accomplished… if you’re looking for that you can review what we’ve done and how and why we’ve done it (the quick summary is: some awesome stuff). Three…
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January 5th, 2010
The Great 2009 Substance Recap
Can you believe it? Another year in the record books, and what do we have to show for it? Well, plenty. — February 2009 — Recognizing the changing weather trends for Portland as just one effect of global climate change, we had the opportunity to help do something about it. Working with the visionaries at ClimatePath, we helped rebrand and…
This was going around the office yesterday... KPCB Internet Trends 2013 - http://t.co/Y1LsvDzwuk
2 weeks, 6 days ago / twitter.com/substance